1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water-soluble coffee tablets and to a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a water-soluble coffee tablet made from a mixture of "instant coffee" and an edible agglutinating agent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of processes have been proposed in the prior art for producing "instant coffee" which readily dissolves in hot water and is commercially available as bulk powder contained in a sealed jar or formulated into tablets or cubes. Coffee in powder form presents a problem in measuring and cannot be conveniently dispensed without spillage. Also, powdered coffee will absorb moisture on repeated exposure of the opened jar and thereby, lose valuable flavor and aroma. Coffee tablets or cubes, which are usually sufficient to make one cup of the beverage, are conventionally prepared from soluble coffee extractives. This method involves subjecting ground coffee beans to the action of an extracting solvent and evaporating the concentrate abstract to the condition of an agglomerate, which is compressible into tablet form. Such coffee tablets and extraction procedures for preparing the same are described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,137,265 to Hubner and U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,635 to Eldred. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 1,951,357 to Hall describes a method of forming a compressed coffee tablet by incorporating with the coffee extract a liquid binder containing gelatin and dextrin. However, coffee tablets formed by these prior procedures have disadvantages in that the flavor of the pure coffee extractives is always lost in the course of formulation since the extrinsic binder or vehicle is never completely removed from the beverage which affects its taste and appearance.
Further, it is widely known in the art of tablet-making to include a binder material with the active ingredient to hold the tablets together. However, the use of conventional binders in coffee tablets is undersirable, resulting in a beverage that contains extraneous ingredients that adversely affect the taste characteristics of pure coffee.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an "instant" coffee composition in tablet or cube form having improved dissolution properties and taste.
Another object of the invention is to provide a soluble coffee tablet which facilitates the retention of flavor and aroma components of pure coffee extractives and can be stored for long periods without deterioration.
A primary object of this invention is to provide an efficient method for manufacturing an improved soluble coffee tablet which excludes the use of conventional binders or vehicles which adversely affect the taste and appearance of the resulting beverage.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.